20180104

What I Got for Christmas

It's time once again for a little look at some of the bits I was lucky enough to get my hands on this Christmas (thank you once again to my lovely family!) As always, it's going to be more of a 'show' than a tell (because if I tried to review everything in full we'd be waiting another month...) but I'm going to swatch the makeup below and if there's anything in particular you'd like to see a review of then please do let me know.

BeautyTarte Toasted Eyeshadow Palette | This eyeshadow palette had my name written all over it! I couldn't really justify lusting after both, so I popped this on my wish list over the Urban Decay Naked Heat because I was curious to try the Tarte formula and this just looked as though it had a few more lid colours to create varied looks with. The packaging is gorgeous - it has gold casing and the outer part has a unique tortoise shell / flame design. The shade range is beautiful - they're all my sorts of warm bronze, copper, orange and brown colours and there are a mix of medium and deep matte shades, as well as shimmers for the lid and to be used as highlights. I've only used this a couple of times, however I think I might love it! As I kind of expect with Tarte products, the longevity was really great - I did my makeup in the morning and this eyeshadow lasted me all day and night (including a flight to Amsterdam and a very late one!) I'll definitely update you on once I've used all the shades, however it looks like a winner.

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer (Medium) | My mum actually ordered this from the US with the eyeshadow palette however you can get it in the UK from QVC - the catch is that it's £28, as you have to buy it with their own blending sponge! Personally I'd rather just use my trusty BeautyBlender, making this a hefty investment, so I'm trying not to think of when it runs out... I have the shade Medium, which is luckily a good shade for me! It's warm enough for my skin tone and the colour is brightening (but not too dramatic) under the eyes. My first impressions of this are very positive! It has great full coverage but blends out to such a natural finish. It looks nice and fresh under the eyes, however unlike a lot of more hydrating formulas it doesn't crease. Huda Beauty Lip Contour Set in Spice Girl & Venus | I'm a huge fan of Huda's liquid lipsticks so I was really excited to receive this set containing two minis. I only have one of her lip pencils, however the formula with this one is just as creamy and pigmented. The idea is that you line your lips with the darker shade (Spice Girl - a cool brown) and then fill it in with the same shade in the Liquid Matte before using the lighter Liquid Matte (Venus - a nude beige) to give a contour effect to the lips. However, I think I'll probably end up enjoying the products in here individually!

Huda Beauty Desert Dusk | I absolutely loved the mini Warm Brown Obsessions palette I tried from Huda Beauty (check out my thoughts on it here) so I really wanted to try more from Huda's eyeshadow range. I love the entire theme of this palette and the shades are just as vibrant and impressive in real life as they look in photos. It's unlike anything else in my collection and mixes warm oranges, reds and coppers with smoky purples and some amazing iridescent shades. I actually took this with me to Amsterdam to play around with and I loved it for my nighttime makeup looks. The pigmentation is incredible and I actually get so much use out of pretty much all of the shades. I'm thinking I might do some sort of Huda Beauty brand focus, so I'll update you then with my full and final thoughts on this palette in that post.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Gradient Glow | It's no secret that I love Becca highlighters - the formula is just so smooth and pigmented and they give an amazing intense glow without any glitter. This contains five Becca highlighters, so you can carefully use a fan brush to apply them individually or swirl them together. Bronzed Amber is a deep bronze, Moonstone a light frosty gold, Opal a muted champagne gold, Rose Gold as the name suggests and Topaz a gold with almost olive undertones. Swirled together is has this gorgeous pearly, amber tone.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Golden Quartz | I really love the one of these that I have already and this is a gorgeous colour - a sort of golden metallic with khaki-olive undertones. The formula is so smooth on application but lasts without smudging once it sets. I like to use these as lower lash eyeliners, especially for a smoky evening look.

Glossier Phase 1 Set | I've actually tried two of the three products in here, however I've virtually run out of one and really love and needed a backup of the other! The Milky Jelly Cleanser is just the perfect fuss-free cleanser that leaves my skin soft and clean and is very gentle. The Priming Moisturiser is perfect for my combination skin - it smooths and hydrates my skin, leaving it looking healthy. It gets rid of any dry patches and helps my makeup look nice and fresh. I've tried the Balm Dotcom before in a different favour - it's a multipurpose product that can be used as a lip balm or on dry patches of skin. As the Birthday edition contains a slight sheen, I'll probably limit its use to my lips! It also has a lovely cupcake fragrance.Comfort Zone Tranquility Must Haves | Earlier this year I went with my mum to the Titanic Spa and we both had treatments using the Comfort Zone Tranquility product range. She got the huge gift set from the range as one of her main presents from my grandparents and uncle and I got a mini version. It's so hard to describe the fragrance - it's sort of warm but still fresh and not at all overwhelming. The notes include cedar wood, Damascus rose and sweet orange. In here is the hand cream, which is so lightweight and moisturising, as well as a mini shower cream and body lotion, which I'm yet to try.Lush Snow Fairy Set | It just isn't Christmas without Snow Fairy! This is a classic from Lush that smells of yummy sweets - if you don't love sweet food-y scents, you might find it sickly, however I personally love this. In this set I have a little pink glittery shower gel and also a matching bath bomb I'm looking forward to using.iN.gredients Pumpkin Spice Latte Cream Mask | I actually haven't had a chance to try this one yet, however the name suggests it's going to smell amazing! It contains extracts from pumpkin, cinnamon and bergamot which promise to cleanse, nourish and refine the skin.Lixir Vitamin C Paste | Lixir is a brand that immediately caught my eye so I'm excited to finally try something from their modest product range. This is designed to be a 'quick fix' mask for mornings when your skin is in need of a bit of glow. I'll let you know how I get on with this once I've had a chance to properly road test it.Margaret Dabbs Nail & Cuticle Serum (Mini) | I've actually never tried this cult product before (so it was an impressive find from my mum!) and it came in festive Nutcracker packaging, which was a cute touch. I've only tried this a couple of times, however it's nice and moisturising whilst having a very light, liquid texture, so I'm hoping it'll go some way to helping my brittle nails.Hotel Chocolat Rabot 1745 Almond Chocolate Lip Balm | I had no idea Hotel Chocolat stocked beauty products, however this lip balm is gorgeous! It has a soft, natural fragrance (nothing sickly or overpowering at all) and a lightweight formula. It's moisturising and conditioning, as well as tasting pretty great.Hotel Chocolat Rabot 1745 Cacao & Wild Honey Hand Cream | Again with this product, you get the gorgeous fragrance without it being too much. This hand cream isn't heavy or greasy or sticky, however it hydrates any dry patches of skin.

Fashion, Food etc.Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Candle | If you're a regular reader of this blog then you'll know I'm obsessed with this range in all of its forms - I love the body oil and the fragrance is my signature scent. This candle only seems to come out at Christmas and only ever in a mini size, however it's a favourite of mine! I got it a couple of years back and was immediately hooked - it has amazing throw and the warm notes include magnolia, orange blossom and vanilla.Comfort Zone Tranquility Candle | My mum actually didn't realise I already had this, however as it's one of my favourite candles I've been burning it a lot and have got a good 2/3 of the way through, so a replacement means I can keep using it without worrying! It has the same fragrance as the body products and the scent always completely fills the room, creating such a relaxing atmosphere.Pandora Rose Timeless Elegance Ring | This was a really special gift from my mum that I'm absolutely in love with. It's just so delicate and feminine and I love the design and the rose gold colour. It just really adds something to a look and I think it's a classic design that I'm going to wear for years to come.

Gold Monogrammed Glass & Bailey's | I did get a ridiculous amount of alcohol for Christmas (worryingly mainly from work colleagues...) but I wanted to show this gift because of the gorgeous glass it came with! Sadly I couldn't track down this specific one but you can buy something similar from Anthropologie here. It's kind of too pretty to drink from, so I think I'll probably use it for decorative purposes. I absolutely love Irish Cream, so of course I'll be making quick work of this cute little mini Bailey's!

Hotel Chocolat Caramel Pecans | Hotel Chocolat chocolate is an integral part of Christmas as far as I'm concerned! I don't think I've tried these before but they're a yummy mix of nut and caramel.

Hotel Chocolat Salted Caramel Cocoa Vodka Liqueur | I haven't actually tried this yet, however I'm looking forward to it because even just the name is making my mouth water...Euros | As I think I've mentioned on here I went to to Amsterdam for a few days, including NYE! I also kindly was given some Euros to spend over there - make sure to check out Sunday's post if you'd like to read about what I got up to over Christmas and New Year.

Did you get any exciting beauty bits for Christmas (or anything else you might be celebrating)?

23 comments

I rarely get any beauty stuff, my family and friends rightly assume that I have more than enough already. My gifts were mostly electronic tid bits for my work setup that I had asked for, like a new keyboard and such.

What a great pile of gifts! I'm really keen to try the Tarte Shape Tape Concealer, and just more from Tarte in general. I don't have the Toasted palette, but I do own the other two Tartelette palettes, and they're among my favourites - the quality of the eyeshadows is great.

So much great makeup! I would be so excited about the Toasted palette and the Desert Dusk palette! :) I don't usually ask for beauty stuff for Christmas, but I love getting candles, body lotions, and perfumes!

You got lovely gifts! I need the Huda Beauty palette in my life haha, every time I went to Sephora these last couple weeks I went to look at it. But I also looked at the price and wanted to cry haha. It seems so worth it though, the pigmentation is incredible!

Oh wow everything just looks so amazing! I ended up getting the Tartelette in Bloom palette and I absolutely love it. The shades in the Toasted palette are so lovely and warm! (Also I noticed you switched to Disqus. I tried this and my previous comments were all over the place and it really bothered me. Did you have this problem?)